True Power
by bridgesoflimacounty
Summary: Kurt's senior year at McKinley School for Extraordinary Students is the most important of his life so far: his assigned companion Blaine is far more than he seems and Kurt's past is brought to the forefront in the middle of danger and quite possibly love.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: omg I'm so excited to be writing this fic! Please review and let me know if you like it!

**~PROLOGUE~**

Kurt Hummel was not your average teenager. Sure, as a kid he had been pretty normal, though far more attached to his tea set than his Batman. Except then his mother had died while Kurt was small and unafraid of the world.

He only had vague memories of how it happened. There were bright lights and things happening that young Kurt didn't understand. Overwhelmed by a sadness Kurt could not understand after it happened, his powers had manifested.

At his mother's funeral Kurt looked up at his father, large and sturdy above him, holding his hand but silently shaking with grief, and thought: _I wish you were happier_

And then, suddenly, Burt was happy and Kurt was less sad. It took several years for Kurt to understand that he could do that to anyone and that not only could he make people feel things, he could feel what they were feeling when he touched them and that most of the time those feelings hurt. People felt a lot of things.

Before he was able to go to one of the schools made for other kids like himself, Kurt didn't want to feel anything at all. No one would ever be able to understand how hard his life was.

Kurt Hummel's friends were also not your average teenagers. Once Burt realized that Kurt was different he had researched options for schooling, though he had never expected to raise such an extraordinary son and the garage that he owned certainly couldn't pay for any of the more prestigious schools for such youth. In the end, Kurt had been sent to McKinley School For Gifted And Extraordinary Students.

As Kurt went through his years of schooling he had found himself forming a group with several students even though all together they made an unexpected mismatch of kids.

This year was their senior and last year at McKinley School and they had all been training for the last three years just for this moment. The kids with extraordinary abilities like Kurt had been honing their skills and learning about themselves. The other kids at the school, picked for their strength or intelligence or whatever other things Kurt didn't know about had trained to become the best partners they could be to the extraordinary people of the world.

This year, this first day of the school year was the most important of their lives so far. Each of the students like Kurt who possessed a power would be paired up with a powerless student to train and complete simulated assignments with until graduation. They were supposed to be perfect matches, though Kurt knew that didn't always work out because he had watched some of the older students fight with their partners from day one. Every once in a while a student was killed.

Kurt wasn't worried about killing anyone. He knew he could, the school had taught him that he could make people feel so depressed that they would kill themselves but Kurt obviously didn't want to do that. Ever. Death haunted him and was what he believed was the cause of his powers.

He was worried about who he would get paired up with. Some of his friends had more to worry about. They were already together as couples and were afraid to be broken apart. Or worse they knew they would be broken apart because if they both had powers they would each need to be assigned to someone without powers.

This year McKinley School had merged with a few other schools from the area as part of a government initiative, so it would be the first year some of the students would get paired up with someone they had never met.

Of course Kurt knew at the end of the year each student had the choice of staying with their partner permanently and entering one of the specialized colleges run by the government for team training or going into more training to find their perfect partner. He tried not to feel pressured by this.

Kurt waved at Burt when he stepped out of the car for his first day of senior year. By now Burt knew that Kurt didn't need him to stay for the move in. Kurt could feel his sadness and waved it away with an errant thought, calming his father and reminding him at he had Carole at home.

That fact was only enforced by how Finn Hudson, Kurt's stepbrother and fellow student who had followed Kurt to the school when his mother married Burt even though he had no powers, bumped into his back with his suitcases instead of looking where he was going.

Burt drove off once they got all the luggage out and for a second Kurt remembered to feel sort of bad about messing with his father's emotions. He usually promised not to mess with his friends or family but sometimes he didn't even mean to. Mercedes, another of his friends, called that compassion. Kurt called it annoying.

"I am so ready for senior year," Finn said as they walked up the front steps to the school. They were surrounded by other students milling forward. Kurt hated crowds where he couldn't control it if people brushed up against him and bombarded him with stupid emotions like barely contained nervousness from Freshman.

The seniors had to meet in the auditorium after dropping their bags off. This year they would get private rooms they could share with their assigned partners instead of the large dorms Kurt was used to. It was the main perk he was looking forward to, honestly.

Kurt and Finn walked towards the wide room and along the way they were joined by several of their friends.

There was Puck who didn't have a power but was one of the best students in the companion training program, though Kurt would never understand how he passed the actual tests that didn't involve fists and bravado. Mercedes joined them and bumped up against Kurt, humming something in welcome that swam around the hallway and sounded pleasant though Kurt knew she could open her mouth and shatter the glass in the entire building if she wanted to.

When Rachel joined them Finn tried to hide behind Puck but it was pretty useless. Tina and Mike came next and they both look worried. Kurt knew they were both worried about this year since they were a couple but both of them had powers so they would have to be split up.

Kurt sent a few calming thoughts towards them but Tina rolled her eyes at him. She had a power that also involved her mind and had taken courses with Kurt to shield themselves from powers when they could.

"Just let us suffer," she said. Mike squeezed her closer. Kurt rolled his eyes back.

"Are you guys ready for this?" asked Rachel, bouncing up and down as she walked and fluttering into the air a few feet. "I'm sure whoever they have matched me with with be perfect. Star students who aced the practical exam last year must have been given top priority matches. I hope they considered the letter of preference I submitted as well." She looked over at Finn with a knowing expression.

Kurt wasn't sure if he was ready for this just like he wasn't sure if he was ready to accept his powers at first. But he was probably as ready as he would ever be.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: omg I didn't expect to get another chapter up so fast but I'm so happy you guys like the start. Please review and tell me if you enjoy it!

**~CHAPTER TWO: THE START AND A SAD BOY~**

Far too soon they were being told to file into seats facing the stage. The middle section was for McKinley School students and the side sections were for some of the students who had been gathered as matches from other schools.

There was an entire section at the bottom of boys dressed in uniforms, actual blazers and ties, and pretty much everyone including Kurt took a moment to laugh at how strange they looked.

"That must be Dalton Academy," Rachel said in a knowing whisper. "I didn't know they were being transferred for matches! They are usually so secretive. They are supposed to train the best companions in the state. I hope one of us gets one"

"Me too," whispered Finn under his breath, clearly hoping Rachel would be paired up with someone not him. Rachel glared at him. Kurt was sure Finn would be back to wanting to be around her within the next week and then change his mind after that.

Soon it was time for the pairing ceremony to begin. McKinley's principal was joined by the Dean from Dalton and the headmasters of two other schools and they took turn reading matches from their lists.

Rachel was one of the first to be called and she was paired with Finn. Puck and Santana who had joined them all right before the start of the proceedings patted him consolingly on the back as Rachel beamed and flew down to collect their partnering contracts and information.

When Tina and Mike were split apart both of them cried but considerately tried not to touch Kurt as they passed.

Puck was paired with Lauren Zizes and looked vaguely scared and then vaguely pleased when he finally got onto the stage next to her and she whispered something in his ear.

Then it was Kurt's turn as the crowd thinned. He looked down at the people left that he knew from McKinley. Most of the ones he might not have minded being paired with were also kids with powers, like Santana, who was scary but actually worked well with him.

Some of the boys from Daltor or wherever remained in the bottom rows to the side and Kurt spared a glance at them.

"Blaine Anderson," Figgins called next, and the Dean beside him nodded at one of the uniformed boys from Dalton. "And... Kurt Hummel."

Kurt obediently walked out of his row of chairs and down the stairs to the stage focusing on the back of whoever this Blaine Anderson was' head.

The main part of the tradition of being partnered with someone was that the two partners had to go on stage on opposite sides and meet at the middle, grasp hands and be given special rings by whoever was officiating, and then get their paperwork and room information and schedules.

Kurt really just wanted to start unfolding his clothes. He didn't know this guy and he wouldn't know him until they could go somewhere and figure out what to do about being partnered.

As he got up to the stage and turned to face the very opposite end he was shocked to finally be looking at who he would be partnered with for the rest of the year. He was shorter than Kurt was, which was unusual but not unheard of for companions and he was definitely very very good looking.

The walk to the center of the stage felt like it took forever and Kurt wished that his powers were not so limited and that he could feel what this guy was feeling from across the stage.

"Ahh," said the Dalton Dean once they were gathered in the middle, "One of our best students, it will be a shame to see Mr. Anderson leave us."

Figgins handed them their rings to put on but Blaine moved too quickly, grabbing for Kurt's hand instead even though that was supposed to come after they had their rings on. He accidentally knocked Kurt's ring from his palm that Figgins had just given him.

Blaine scooped down to pick it up off the stage and though they weren't touching Kurt could kind of feel the embarrassment radiating off of him. Going completely against normal protocol instead of handing Kurt back his ring, Blaine took his hand and put it on his finger in one motion before slipping his own on, not meeting Kurt's eyes.

"Ah," Figgins said, clearing his throat. The room seemed really silent. "Now I guess you may grasp hands since you are wearing your rings."

They did, and Kurt should not have been shocked at the warmth of Blaine's hand but he was anyway. He had not had much experience holding another guy's hand. Blaine felt a lot of things, too, and Kurt tried to pick them all out as Figgins read the official statements.

Blaine took his hand from Kurt's and shook his head again with a self depreciating smile when Figgins was finished. "Sorry," he mouthed, taking his papers from the Dalton dean as they stepped back.

Kurt felt short of breath and realized everything was completely different now with this boy standing in front of him and destined to spend the rest of the year training and working with him and ultimately protecting him and helping him.

They walked out of the auditorium in silence. Kurt knew three things about Blaine: that he was far too good looking for Kurt's usual bad luck, that he was one of Dalton's best students, and that he was not a very happy person.


End file.
